Everyone's Favorite Comfort Food, by State
All-American Noshes
If you've ever wondered if your neighbors near and far have the same culinary cravings as you, wonder no more. E-conolight, an indoor/outdoor lighting company pondered the same question and decided to look into it. To do so, the company identified more than 100 dishes people classify as “comfort foods,” then used Google Trends to identify which the residents of each state and Washington, D.C. searched for most.
Alabama: Cheese Grits
Alabamans searched for this feel-good dish typically made with hominy or stone-ground cornmeal, cheese, spices, and more.
Alaska: Cinnamon Rolls
Almost unbelievably, this is the only time those ooey-gooey swirls of pillowy dough, sugary icing, and spicy cinnamon appear on this list. Alaskans know a thing or two about carb-heavy goodness, apparently — E-conolight noted in other parts of its survey that the main and side dishes most searched for by residents of The Last Frontier were biscuits and gravy and sourdough bread, respectively.
Arizona: Chicken and Waffles
This comfort food favorite is going to show up a couple more times on this list, as it's not just residents of the Grand Canyon State that craved it the most during lockdown. In fact, it was the third most searched comfort food in the United States, according to E-conolight.
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Arkansas: Chicken and Dumplings
Proving that chicken and, well, carb-laden things are a popular item to eat when you need a little pick-me-up for the soul, denizens of this Southern state (and one other — can you guess which?) searched for chicken and dumplings over all other comfort foods in 2020.
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California: Grilled Cheese
Cheesy breaded goodness was the most searched for comfort food in the United States, topping E-conolight's research in California and six other states.
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Colorado: Chili
Nothing warms up a snowy and frigid day better than a bowl of chili, and that's probably what Colorado's residents were banking on when they searched for this comfort food over all others. Chili also made a showing in two other states … read on to find out where.
Connecticut: Strawberry Shortcake
In the realm of comfort foods, this one at least has fruit on it, so maybe residents of Connecticut were just trying to keep it a little healthier? Somewhat surprisingly, this wasn't the only state where strawberry shortcake was popular. Hint: A New England neighbor's residents also craved this berry-laden dessert.
Delaware: Fried Chicken
Residents of Delaware were among four states craving some good, old-fashioned fried chicken. This comfort food, in fact, was the second-most-searched in the nation, just behind grilled cheese.
District of Columbia: Chicken Lo Mein
Throwing us for something of a loop, D.C. is the only area of the country searching for this particular dish. Perhaps when The Washington Post noted in a December 2020 article that "American Chinese food is the best American comfort food," it was merely expressing the sentiment of its nearest readers.
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Florida: Corned Beef and Hash
Honestly, we have no idea what to make of this development. Did we expect to see key lime pie or conch fritters? Sure. But corned beef and hash in the Sunshine State? Mind. Blown.
Georgia: Fried Chicken
Another state all aboard the fried chicken train, which leaves two to go. Both are in the South, but which states will they be?
Hawaii: Cheesecake
Residents of the Aloha State were craving sugar combined with cream cheese, egg, butter, and graham cracker crumbs. Who could hoʻopaʻapaʻa (translation: argue) with that?
Idaho: Pot Roast
Given that the Gem State grows more potatoes than any other, and that potatoes are a classic part of pot roast, this one seems like a natural fit.
Illinois: Grilled Cheese
The second state to declare love of cheese and bread via Google searches, and four more to go.
Indiana: Biscuits and Gravy
You knew biscuits and gravy would show up somewhere, right? But did you guess it would be the Hoosiers searching for it? Indiana was the only state where this classic comfort dish made a showing.
Iowa: Monkey Bread
If you've had it, you know that this mass of dough, brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins is delicious, but we were still surprised to see it as a top search in any state.
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Kansas: Baked Potato Soup
E-conolight noted that it "saw some unique comfort foods with surprising statewide popularity," and named this pairing of state and soup as an example. We can't argue — didn't see this one coming.
Kentucky: Chicken and Dumplings
Just like Arkansas peeps, Kentuckians apparently have a love for this dish. And this concludes the chicken and dumplings portion of this list — you won't see it show up again.
Louisiana: Fried Chicken
Another Southern state with a love of fried chicken? No surprises here.
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Maine: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Frankly, we're surprised it took this long for a classic cookie to show up on this list, and we're doubly surprised Mainers were the only folks searching for chocolate chip cookies en masse.
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Maryland: Grilled Cheese
Another state, another love of grilled cheese. Maybe it's the fact that you can do so much to make this simple sandwich more remarkable? At any rate, three grilled cheese states down, three to go.
Massachusetts: Strawberry Shortcake
Just like its neighbor to the south, Bay Staters love some comforting strawberry shortcake. Coincidence or conspiracy?
Michigan: Chicken Noodle Soup
Given that residents of the Wolverine State saw more than their fair share of COVID-19 cases in 2020, we're gonna chalk this one up to the purported medicinal properties of this dish.
Minnesota: Swedish Meatballs
Factor in the number of descendants of Swedish immigrants living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and there's no surprise here.
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Mississippi: Jambalaya
Jambalaya might be thought of as a quintessentially New Orleans dish, but given the relative proximity of the two states and the amount of shrimp processed in the Magnolia State, again — no huge revelation here.
Missouri: Baked Potato Soup
Yes, Mizzou residents shared a love of this comforting soup with their neighbors to the east. The two states share Kansas City, so why not a soup, too?
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Montana: Tomato Soup
Nothing pairs with tomato soup quite like a grilled cheese sandwich, so we're guessing Montana residents already know a thing or two about how to make a great cheesy sandwich and have moved their comfort food search tendencies on to this classic soup.
Nebraska: Chicken Noodle Soup
Not sure there are any meaningful conclusions to be drawn here, but here's a fun fact: A doctor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha once conducted lab tests to see if the soup's reputation as a common cold folk remedy was deserved.
Nevada: Chicken and Waffles
The second of three states that searched for this dish over all others, Nevada residents apparently know there's no reason to settle for one comfort food when you can have two (with syrup).
New Hampshire: Stuffing
The Granite State is one of two that searched for stuffing above all other comfort foods. The other? Here's a hint: It's another state in the Northeast.
New Jersey: Grilled Cheese
Jersey residents are the first of the final three states to search for this mega-popular comfort food above all others.
New Mexico: Chili
Just like their colder neighbors to the north in Colorado, those living in the Land of Enchantment crave chili above all else.
New York: Grilled Cheese
Another state, another point on the comfort food scoreboard for grilled cheese (and a note — this dish won't show up again until near the end of this list).
North Carolina: Chicken and Waffles
Given that Travel + Leisure once named Raleigh, North Carolina, as one of "America’s Favorite Cities for Brunch," perhaps it's not too surprising that residents here searched for chicken and waffles above all other comfort foods.
North Dakota: Mashed Potatoes
Sure, mashed potatoes might seem a little boring on the surface, but given all the extras you can load into them — cheese, butter, sour cream, bacon, etc. — they're the perfect gateway comfort food, no?
Ohio: Chili
Given the popularity of Cincinnati Chili, it's a safe bet that a fair number of Buckeyes were putting their comfort food of choice over noodles or hot dogs. After all, notes the What's Cooking America website, "outside of the state of Texas, Cincinnati, Ohio is the most chili-crazed city in the United States."
Oklahoma: Pecan Pie
It might not be the biggest pecan-producing state in the union, but Oklahoma has plenty of pecan trees with which to make these coveted pies.
Oregon: Corn Cakes
This one was unexpected, but given the versatility of this comfort food — which can just as easily be served with cheese, sour cream, and scallions as it can a heaping dollop of jam or maple syrup — we're not mad about it.
Pennsylvania: Stuffing
Remember when we hinted in the New Hampshire portion of this story earlier that there was another stuffing-loving Northeastern state? Here it is.
Rhode Island: Pizza
Almost shocking, isn't it, that it took until this point for pizza to make a showing? Rhode Island is the only state where it appears.
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South Carolina: Shrimp and Grits
Grits make another showing here in the Palmetto State, but this time with seafood instead of cheese.
South Dakota: Pot Roast
A Midwestern state with a love of pot roast? Yep, this tracks.
Tennessee: Chess Pie
If you're not from the Volunteer State or thereabouts, you might not have ever heard of chess pie. If you have a sweet tooth, though, you're missing out. The pie contains mostly humble but delicious ingredients such as cornmeal, sugar, flour, butter, milk, and eggs.
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Texas: Fried Chicken
Rounding out the last of our locations craving fried chicken is the Lone Star State, where foods such as fried chicken are taken to art-form status.
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Utah: Mashed Potatoes
We're not sure one has anything to do with the other, but apparently researchers found the "world's oldest mashed potatoes" in the same state where they were craved above all other comfort foods in 2020. Fun fact, if nothing else.
Vermont: Banana Bread
Do you know the only thing that can make banana bread better than it already is? Maple syrup. There you go.
Virginia: Grilled Cheese
Closing out the much-craved grilled cheese portion of this list is Old Dominion, otherwise known as Virginia.
Washington: Swedish Pancakes
Swedish pancakes are made from an eggier batter than regular pancakes, and in the Evergreen State, they are served with lingonberries, ham, and other toppings.
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West Virginia: Meatloaf
We're not sure meatloaf stands out as a favorite comfort food, but hey, if it's good enough for a publication such as Bon Appetit to pay homage to it, who are we to judge?
Wisconsin: Chicken and Mushroom Soup
Apparently, in some parts of the Badger State, people "guard their mushroom soup recipes like family jewels."
Wyoming: Pot Roast
Rounding out our trio of pot roast-loving states and this entire list is the Cowboy State, where we're guessing no one is truly surprised that meat and potatoes were on the comfort food menu.
This article was originally published on Cheapism
